It is obvious that the metaverse is likely to change how you live, work and play in the next 5-6 years. It will possibly transform the way you use technologies in the longer term. You can use metaverse scenarios as a tool for exploring the possible futures of the metaverse and its possible prediction.
This blog post, I will discuss all the aspects of the metaverse scenarios. I will begin with an explanation of the metaverse and the metaverse scenarios. Then, you will come to know the 2 axes of metaverse scenarios and the 4 verticals of the axes.
Later, I will explain to you the 4 metaverse scenarios that emerge from the 4 quadrants of the metaverse. Finally, I will end with the combination of these 4 metaverse scenarios that give rise to new overlapping technologies.
METAVERSE DEFINED
The metaverse is a complex concept and doesn’t have a definite definition. Since last year, the metaverse term has grown beyond Stephenson’s 1992 vision of an immersive 3D virtual world.
In Stephenson’s book “Snow Crash”. He includes real world physical objects, users, interfaces and networks that construct and interact with the virtual world.
There are many definitions of the metaverse out now. But, I will define metaverse to be convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality in a physically enhanced persistent virtual space. It is a fusion of both virtual and physical worlds where it allows you to experience it from either side.
You can get a good concept of metaverse from the following blog articles topics.
METAVERSE SCENARIOS
There was a time when uncertainty of the metaverse was at its peak due to the complexity of the metaverse. But as of now it has become a reality, although the metaverse is at its infant stage.
Scenario approach is used to create a set of partly unique and partly overlapping guesses to the future of something. Same is with the case of the metaverse. Metaverse Scenarios aren’t methods to find the possible future of the metaverse but a tool to explore the possible future of the metaverse.
Apart from technologies available, adoption rate, enabling framework, etc metaverse scenarios are created on some additional reference. The reference here may be trends, cycles and predictions.
2 AXES OF THE METAVERSE SCENARIOS
To construct metaverse scenarios, two axes are taken, the x and y axis as shown in the figure below (Fig 1). The y axis is taken as the enabling technologies of the metaverse. The x axis is taken as the virtual and physical world.
| Axes | Positive (+ve) | Negative (-ve) |
| X | Virtual | Physical or External |
| Y | Augmentation | Simulation |
In the below section, I will briefly explain all the 4 verticals of the 2 axes of the metaverse scenarios.
AUGMENTATION
Augmentation here refers to the technologies that add new capabilities to the existing technologies available for making the metaverse possible. These technologies add new control systems and provide information onto our perception of the physical world.
SIMULATION
Simulation is present in the -ve y axes of the metaverse scenarios. It refers to the technologies that simulate reality into the virtual world. It totally offers a whole new environment in the metaverse. These simulated worlds in the metaverse provide a new way of interaction using interactive devices of the metaverse.
VIRTUAL
Virtual lies on the positive side of x-axes. Virtual technologies are focussed on the identity of the users in the virtual environment of the metaverse. It is focussed on the identity and actions of the user or objects in the virtual world.
Virtual technologies enable the users or objects in the metaverse to interact through an avatar or digital profile. It also enables you to directly appear as an actor in the metaverse.
PHYSICAL or EXTERNAL
Physical here refers to the technologies that are focussed towards the physical world. In the metaverse context, physical ferefer to the technologies that provide information about and control of the physical world around the user.
4 QUADRANT OF THE METAVERSE SCENARIOS
The two axes of the metaverse scenarios give rise to the four quadrants of the x-y plane. These two critical axes of the metaverse scenarios give rise to 4 key components of the metaverse future as shown below.
- Lifelogging
- Augmented Reality
- Mirror Worlds
- Virtual Worlds
| Quadrants | Metaverse Scenario |
| 1st Quadrant | Lifelogging |
| 2nd Quadrant | Augmented Reality |
| 3rd Quadrant | Mirror Worlds or Digital Twins |
| 4th Quadrant | Virtual Worlds |
4 METAVERSE SCENARIOS
2 axes (x-y axes) give rise to 4 quadrants of the metaverse scenarios. These quadrants provide us the 4 metaverse scenarios.
These 4 metaverse scenarios emphasize different functions, types and sets of metaverse technologies. All the four metaverse scenarios are already into existence but in their infant stage.
In the next section, I will explain all the 4 metaverse scenarios. These scenarios will provide you an excellent starting position to understand the metaverse and the virtual & 3D digital future of the metaverse.
LIFELOGGING
Lifelogging falls in the 1st quadrant of the metaverse scenarios and it is the 1st metaverse scenario to discuss. It falls between the virtual and augmentation axes. Lifelogging simply means the augmentation of the virtual world.
In lifelogging, user information and object information is collected via communication in the metaverse. The sensors, IOT, etc. of the devices you use to access the metaverse provides information to the metaverse. This data is recorded and stored to use in AI.
Lifelogging collects a huge amount of data from the user. The data collected are in the form as shown below.
- User Physiological data
- Physical data of the user and object in the metaverse
- Biometric data of the user
- Social data of the user.
- Communication and Interaction data of the he user and object in the metaverse
Object Lifelogs like spimes and blobjects are kept as log to maintain a narrative of use, environment and condition of the physical world. User lifelogs will allow you to make your life recording in the metaverse. But these data are prone to security and privacy concerns as discussed in this blog.
AUGMENTED REALITY (AR)/ VIRTUAL REALITY (VR)
Augmented Reality is the 2nd metaverse scenario that lies in the junction of Augmentation and Physical axes. Augmented reality refers to the type of augmentation of the external or physical world.
It will enhance the real physical world of the user through systems like location-aware systems and interfaces. The interfaces that will augment our real world discussed here are
- GPS
- IoT
- Robotics
Nowadays, Augmented Reality is applied using AR/VR headset or simply through mobile devices. You can know the history of the metaverse that ponders musch on the VR/AR from here.
MIRROR WORLDS or DIGITAL TWINS
Mirror world lies in the 3rd quadrant in the intersection of Simulation and Physical or External Axes. Mirror worlds are informatically enhanced virtual models or digital twins of the physical world.
Mirror World or Digital Twins construction involves sophisticated virtual mapping, modeling and annotation tools, geospatial and other sensors. The Nvidia Omniverse is such a tool to create a mirror world.
Mirror worlds are built nowadays to simulate real world scenarios. Some projects like Next Earth , Earth 2, Upland, etc are mirroring the land of the physical world lands to digital land and selling the digital land as NFT.
VIRTUAL WORLDS
Virtual world lies in the 4th quadrant of the metaverse scenarios. Metaverse is simply taken as a virtual world. The virtual world here combines the economic and social life of the physical world and its communities.
The distinction of the physical and virtual world will become thin and one day eroded. There will be no distinction between the physical and virtual world. This phase will be the coexistence of physical-virtual reality of the metaverse.
In bothe spaces i.e the virtual and physical world the following things will remain forefront.
- Identity
- Trust and Reputation
- Social Roles
- Rules
- Interaction.
COMBINATION OF THE 4 AXES OF THE METAVERSE SCENARIOS
All the 4 metaverse scenarios can be combined. This shows that their technologies overlap with each other as shown in Fig. 3 below to give rise to the 4 combinations.
- Networks & Interfaces
- Sensors, IoT, etc
- Contents, User Interactivity
- Avatars, Virtual Economy, etc.
You can see from the above figure that in the use of a mirror world map inside a virtual world, a head-mounted display AR/VR system or object or user lifelogging inside the mirror or virtual world exist.
At present, applications of the metaverse for games, education or social media have rudimentary use or at its initial stage.
CONCLUSION
I have considered the metaverse scenario into four separate one. The metaverse scenario was derived from the 2 axes of the metaverse that led to 4 quadrants and thus the 4 metaverse scenario. You have also seen the combination of the metaverse scenarios.
All our metaverse scenarios will be influenced by the broader concerts which the plant earth is facing. All that happens in the world like war, energy, technologies, trade, education, economy, etc, will shape the metaverse scenarios to come.
